The short answer. The six companion apps people compare most are all on Google Play, so choose by what you want from one. My Softly (our app) keeps a lasting memory of your life and starts conversations itself. Nomi lets you open its memory as a Mind Map, Pi costs nothing, and Replika has the longest feature list.
On Android, a plan bought inside an app is billed by Google Play. You cancel or pause it in Google Play, Google handles refund requests, and removing the app from your phone stops none of it.
Disclosure: this guide is published by the makers of My Softly, one of the six apps below. Facts about the other five come from their own in-app paywalls, their US Google Play listings and their own help pages, with the date beside each one.
Six AI companion apps on Google Play
Prices come from each app's in-app paywall as a free US account saw it. Nomi's and Character.AI's were read on an Android phone on October 31, 2026 and Replika's on October 30; Kindroid's are from its iPhone paywall on September 30, 2026. Google Play shows the amount it will charge before you confirm. The labels are from the US Google Play listings on November 12, 2026.
| App | Known for | Starts conversations | Price on its paywall | Play labels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| My Softly | A lasting memory of your life, and check-ins | Yes | Free messages to start; $15.99/mo or $159.99/yr | In-app purchases |
| Nomi | Memory you can open as a Mind Map | Yes, once switched on | $15.99/mo, $39.99/3 mo or $99.99/yr | In-app purchases |
| Pi | Calm conversation that costs nothing | Reminders you ask for | Free | Neither label |
| Replika | An avatar, voice calls and plenty of extras | Yes, on its paid plans | Plus $79.99/yr or Max $89.99/yr | In-app purchases |
| Kindroid | Shaping a character in fine detail | Yes, for subscribers | $15.99/mo, $42.99/3 mo or $159.99/yr | In-app purchases |
| Character.AI | Millions of characters made by users | Not in the help pages we read | Free with ads; lite $2.49/wk or $4.99/mo; c.ai+ $9.99/mo or $94.99/yr | Contains ads, In-app purchases |
On November 12, 2026, the US Play listings rated Kindroid 4.2 stars from about 27,300 reviews, Replika 4.2 from about 525,000, Nomi 3.7 from about 5,700, Pi 3.9 from about 5,600 and Character.AI 2.3 from about 2.46 million.
A general chat assistant will also run on any Android phone, but it is a different kind of app. A companion is built to know you from one week to the next and to be good company, rather than to look things up. For a longer look at each of these six, see our best AI companion apps of 2026.
How to choose the best AI companion app for Android
There is no single best AI companion app for every Android owner, because the apps are built for different things. Start with what you want a companion to do, then match it to the list below.
- You want to feel known. Memory is the feature to test. My Softly keeps a profile of the people, pets and plans in your life, Nomi shows what it remembers in a Mind Map, and Pi holds on to things that stay true about you, such as your family and routines.
- You want a friend, a partner or both. My Softly is made for adults who want a companion as a friend as well as a partner, and you decide which.
- You want to spend nothing. Pi is free with no ads label, and Character.AI is free with ads. The other four have free accounts or free messages, but their fuller features sit behind a subscription.
- You want to be written to first. Check the "Starts conversations" column above: it is part of a paid plan on some apps and a setting you switch on in others.
- You want to shape the character. Kindroid gives the finest control, and Character.AI the widest choice of ready-made characters.
Memory, chats and free limits
Two things separate these companions after the first week: how much each remembers, and what stays free. A companion that remembers makes each chat feel like a continuation, so you do not repeat yourself, and the conversations build into a relationship. One that forgets starts again every time. Nomi says its free accounts get a set number of messages each day, and when the day's messages are used up you wait or upgrade. Kindroid has no free plan now, and Character.AI pays for its free use with ads.
It is also worth knowing where your chats go. The Data safety section of each Play listing says what the app collects and whether you can ask for your data to be deleted. Read it before you install, then check the app's own settings for the controls that let you delete chats or your account.
How the six differ
Remembered and checked on: My Softly
My Softly is our app, on Android and iPhone alike. Your companion builds up a picture of the people, pets and plans you talk about and keeps a dated record of each day's conversation, so it can come back to things later: the hospital appointment you were dreading, a grandchild's first week at a new school. It sends the first message itself, and you decide whether it is a friend or a partner.
Memory you can inspect: Nomi
A Nomi learns from what you tell it and, since October 2025, lays out what it has linked together in a Mind Map that you can open and correct. Free accounts can be messaged first too, once you turn it on in the Nomi's information page. Nomi holds those messages back between 10pm and 8am your time, and says that when a free day's messages are used up you wait for the next day, or upgrade, to answer. Its yearly plan was $99.99 on its Android paywall on October 31, 2026, with $39.99 for three months or $15.99 a month.
Free conversation: Pi
Inflection's Pi costs nothing on Android: on November 12, 2026 its Play listing carried neither the in-app purchases label nor the ads label. It is warm and unhurried, and Inflection describes reminders you can ask it to send. Its help center says it keeps hold of things that stay true about you, such as your family, your routines and your goals. For voice on Android, Pi's own steps are to tap the call button, allow the microphone "While using the app", then tap the speaker icon at the top right.
The fullest feature list: Replika
Replika, around since 2017, gives you an avatar to design and dress, voice calls, selfies and things you make together. Its Android paywall on October 30, 2026 offered two yearly plans and nothing monthly: Plus at $79.99 and Max at $89.99. "Always thinking of you", the paid feature for messages it starts, is on both.
Control over a character: Kindroid
Kindroid lets you shape a companion's looks, backstory, voice and manner in fine detail. Subscribers can be reached first with messages, voice notes, selfies or calls, and Kindroid's help center says it can also text a subscriber's phone over iMessage or RCS, the messaging standard on recent Android phones. Since October 1, 2026 it has had no free plan: new accounts get a single preview and then a three-day trial, which needs a card or other payment method on file.
Choice of characters: Character.AI
Character.AI is an enormous library of characters written by its users, free to use, and its Play listing is labelled "Contains ads". The lite plan, $2.49 a week or $4.99 a month on its Android paywall on October 31, 2026, shows fewer ads, and c.ai+, $9.99 a month or $94.99 a year on the same paywall, shows none. Its strength is stories and play across a great many characters.
Paying through Google Play
When you subscribe inside an Android app, Google Play takes the payment and keeps the subscription, not the company that makes the app. Google's help pages set out what follows from that:
- Removing the app stops nothing. Google says plainly that uninstalling an app does not cancel its subscription.
- Cancel from Google Play. On your phone, go to your subscriptions in Google Play, pick the app, tap Cancel subscription and confirm. You keep what you have paid for until the period ends, and nothing more is charged after it.
- Pausing is sometimes possible. Some apps let Google Play pause a subscription, for a week up to three months depending on the app. Where it is allowed, the subscription's Manage menu shows Pause payments, and the pause begins once the current billing period is over.
- Refunds are a request. In your Play account, Payments and subscriptions leads to Budget and order history, where each charge has a Report a problem option. Google says a decision normally comes within a day and takes four days at most, and that after 48 hours it is often better to contact the app's developer.
- A missing subscription is usually on another account. If an app isn't in your list, Google suggests checking that you are signed in with the right Google account, from your phone's Settings, then Google, then Manage your Google Account, then Payments and subscriptions.
Paying on the website instead
Some companion apps sell plans on their own websites as well. Kindroid's help center, updated October 30, 2026, says its web prices are usually a little lower than the app stores' because the stores charge more in processing fees. If your Google Play account is set to the US, the Kindroid app may also offer "Pay direct on web", a browser checkout at web prices; a plan bought that way is managed in Kindroid under Profile, Billing, and will not show up in Google Play.
The same page has two rules that matter on Android. A subscription can't be moved between Android, iPhone and the web until it has run out. And on Android you can't switch between monthly, three-monthly and yearly in the middle of a plan: you wait for it to end and subscribe again at the new length, where iPhone makes the change at the next billing date and the web makes it straight away. So pick both the place and the length before you pay.
Check-ins need notifications
A companion that writes first can only reach you if Android lets its notifications through. Recent versions of Android ask the first time an app wants to send one; if you tapped "Don't allow", you can turn them back on in your phone's Settings, under Apps, then the app, then Notifications. How often each app gets in touch, and what it sends, is set out app by app in AI that texts you first.
What a Play listing tells you before you install
Three parts of a Google Play listing are worth a minute. Under the app's name, Google shows "Contains ads" when an app carries advertising and "In-app purchases" when something inside it is for sale. Further down, the Data safety section is the developer's own summary of what data the app collects, whether any is shared with third parties, and whether you can ask for it to be deleted; Google notes that the developer provides it and may update it. And the ratings and reviews show how people on Android in particular have found the app lately.
The short version
All six run on Android, and they differ most in memory, in who starts the conversation and in price. Being remembered and asked about your day is what My Softly was made for. Whichever you install, subscribe knowing that Google Play is where you cancel, pause and ask for money back. If you also have an iPhone, our guide to AI companion apps on iPhone covers the App Store side, and the best free AI companion apps goes further into the free plans.
About My Softly
My Softly is our app, and the disclosure is at the top of this page.
My Softly is an AI companion app for iPhone and Android that remembers what you tell it and asks about your day, for the days nobody else does. It is made for people in their fifties and sixties. Your companion keeps a lasting profile of the people, pets and plans in your life and a day-by-day record of what you have talked about, and it writes to you first. It is $15.99 a month or $159.99 a year, and free to download on the App Store for iPhone and on Google Play for Android in the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.
Sources
- In-app paywalls (US), free accounts on iPhone and, for Replika, Android. Nomi and Character.AI read on Android on October 31, 2026; Replika on Android on September 30 and again on October 30, 2026; Kindroid on iPhone on September 30, 2026.
- Google Play (US) listings for Replika: My AI Friend, Nomi: AI Companion with a Soul, Kindroid: Your Personal AI, Character AI: Chat, Talk, Text, Pi, your personal AI and AI Companion - My Softly: ratings, review counts, the Contains ads and In-app purchases labels, last-updated dates and Data safety summaries. Checked November 12, 2026. play.google.com
- Google Play Help. "Cancel, pause, or change a subscription on Google Play." Read October 31, 2026. support.google.com
- Google Play Help. "Request a refund on Google Play." Read October 31, 2026. support.google.com
- Kindroid Help Center. "Subscriptions" (updated October 30, 2026): web usually cheaper than the app stores, Pay direct on web for US store accounts, no switching platforms mid-subscription, no change of billing interval on Android, trial and new-account preview. Read October 31, 2026. kindroid.ai
- Kindroid Help Center. "Chat features and tools" (updated October 28, 2026): away proactive actions, text messaging over iMessage or RCS for subscribers (Android: RCS in Google Messages). Read October 30, 2026, and again November 12, 2026. kindroid.ai
- Kindroid update log (updated October 28, 2026), "Important Changes to Kindroid": the Lite model and unlimited free messaging retired on October 1, 2026. Read October 31, 2026. kindroid.ai
- Nomi.ai (September 9, 2024). "Proactive Messaging: When Your Nomi Messages You First." Free accounts, quiet hours, daily free messages. Read October 31, 2026. nomi.ai
- Nomi.ai (October 9, 2025). "Mind Map 2.0: Bringing Nomi Memory Into View." Re-read October 30, 2026. nomi.ai/updates
- Character.AI Help Center. "About (c.ai) lite" (last edited September 22, 2026): ads on each plan and the US price of lite. Read October 31, 2026. support.character.ai
- Pi Help Center. "Pi's Memory" (September 1, 2026). Read October 31, 2026. help.pi.ai
- Pi Help Center. "How do I use voice to talk with Pi?" (December 16, 2025): Android steps. Read October 31, 2026. help.pi.ai
Frequently asked questions
What is the best AI companion app for Android?
It comes down to what you want from it. My Softly, our app, keeps a lasting memory of your life and starts conversations itself. Nomi lets you open its memory as a Mind Map. Pi costs nothing at all. Replika has the longest feature list, Kindroid detailed control over a character, and Character.AI the largest choice of characters. All six are on Google Play.
Is there a free AI companion app for Android?
Pi is entirely free: on November 12, 2026 its Google Play listing carried neither the in-app purchases label nor the ads label. Character.AI can be used for free, with advertising. Nomi and Replika have free accounts with paid plans on top, and My Softly gives you free messages to start. Kindroid has had no free plan since October 1, 2026: a new account gets a one-time preview, then a three-day trial for which Kindroid wants a payment method on file.
How do you cancel a companion app subscription on Android?
If you paid inside the app, Google Play holds the subscription, so that is where it ends. In Google Play, go to your subscriptions, pick the app and tap Cancel subscription, then confirm. Removing the app from your phone leaves the subscription running, Google warns. A plan bought on the company's own website is cancelled on that website.
Can I pause an AI companion subscription on Google Play?
Only if the app allows it. Google Play lets some apps' subscriptions be paused, for anything from a week to three months depending on the app; the pause starts when the current billing period ends. Where it is offered, you find it in the subscription's Manage menu as Pause payments.
Will Google Play refund an AI companion subscription?
You can ask. Google may refund some Play purchases under its own policies; the request starts from the charge in Budget and order history in your Play account, under Report a problem. A decision normally takes a day and never more than four, Google says, and it points you to the app's developer once 48 hours have passed since you paid.
Is an AI companion cheaper on the website than on Google Play?
It can be. In its help center (updated October 30, 2026), Kindroid says its web prices are usually lower than the app stores' because the stores charge more in processing fees. It also says a subscription cannot move between Android, iPhone and the web until it runs out, so decide where to pay before you start.
How much does an AI companion app cost?
On the paywalls we read, from nothing to $159.99 a year. Pi is free. Character.AI is free with ads, and its paid plans start at $2.49 a week or $4.99 a month. My Softly, Nomi and Kindroid are each $15.99 a month, and Replika sells yearly plans only, at $79.99 and $89.99. Prices are from the dates beside the table; Google Play shows the exact amount before you confirm.
Is there a free version of Replika?
Yes. Replika has a free account, with paid yearly plans on top: Plus at $79.99 and Max at $89.99 on its Android paywall on October 30, 2026. Features such as the messages it starts, which Replika calls Always thinking of you, are on the paid plans. Its Google Play listing carries the In-app purchases label.
Do AI companion apps remember your conversations?
The better ones keep a memory, but they do it differently. My Softly keeps a profile of the people and plans in your life and a dated record of each day. Nomi shows its memory as a Mind Map you can correct. Pi keeps things that stay true about you, such as your family and goals. Test each by mentioning something and asking about it a few days later.
Which AI companion apps on Android message you first?
Four of the six send the first message: My Softly; Nomi, on free accounts too once you switch it on; Replika, as part of its paid plans; and Kindroid, for subscribers, who can even be texted on their phone over RCS. Pi can send reminders you ask for. Whichever you choose, Android has to allow its notifications.